0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08I could die here, this is really serious.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Right, call 999, now!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19You could see it on the faces of the crew, how life-threatening this was.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Why would you need to swim? Apparently, they're supposed to still be on a boat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I thought she had died.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's a day they'll never forget -
0:00:29 > 0:00:31the day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Today on Close Calls...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52a man working near a remote Scottish loch
0:00:52 > 0:00:54is trapped under a dumper truck.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It's rolled on top of him.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The emergency services try to establish how badly he's been hurt.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11And a racing driver speeding into a turn tries to slow down as the rest
0:01:11 > 0:01:14of the field bunch up in front of him...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17..but his brakes fail.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21And you're just trying to do your best, you know? It's just...
0:01:21 > 0:01:24it's survival. You're just trying to sort of fight for it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The Mini racer somersaults off the track.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Also today...
0:01:32 > 0:01:36a couple on their way to a birthday celebration overtake a supertruck.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Their dash cam captures what happens next.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Loch Tay, Scotland.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00A call comes in to the emergency services
0:02:00 > 0:02:02from a remote lochside location.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The caller has been rung by a distressed colleague working on the
0:02:16 > 0:02:18other side of the water.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21His friend's dumper truck has tipped over, rolling on top of him.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24He's injured and being crushed by the weight of the vehicle.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29The 999 call handler manages to make contact with the casualty.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37The wounded man needs help quickly,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but no-one is sure exactly where he is, including him.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04The stunning county of Perthshire is home to landscape gardener Kevin,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07who set up his business here 20 years ago.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I just love being outdoors, I mean, just being outside with nature.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13You get to see different parts of the landscape every day.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Yeah, so it's just, I wouldn't have it any other way.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Kevin loves his job and it's also a means to support his family.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23He dotes on his two young daughters.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29Well, I mean, my kids are my world. Everything you do is for the kids.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Got two girls - Millie, who's nine, and Annie, who's eight.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Yeah, full of mischief.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Two wee blondies. Just, yeah, keeping me on my toes.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's a Friday morning in April.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Kevin and his colleague Sandy are working at a house on the south side
0:03:45 > 0:03:47of Loch Tay.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It's a beautiful but remote location.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Just working up Loch Tayside, great views.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55We had hit rock on the job, so we had to bring a breaker,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57and a bigger breaker. Sandy was breaking out the rock,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and I was loading the dumper round the corner
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and carting the rock down towards the loch.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08The two men are working some distance apart when Kevin sets off
0:04:08 > 0:04:12along a muddy track to get rid of his third truckload of the day.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17He's driving a mini dumper truck weighing more than two tonnes.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Suddenly, the machine starts to tip.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23The dumper lost balance.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25One of the wheels sunk in a wet piece of ground.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Before he can do anything about it, the dumper begins to keel over.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Kevin makes a split-second decision.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I could feel the machine going, and that's when I thought,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39"Time to bail out."
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I tried to jump off, but my waterproofs got stuck on one of the
0:04:42 > 0:04:44handles, and the next thing, it was on top of me.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52Kevin is pinned down in the mud underneath the truck's heavy engine.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56He's trapped and knows he's badly injured, too.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00I looked down to see the sole of my welly boot at my knee, so I thought,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03my initial reaction was, my welly had come off,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04but that's where my foot was.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It had snapped halfway down my leg and come back on itself.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12So once I realised what was going on there, I started panicking a bit.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15But the wound to his leg isn't his only problem.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The rollbar came across my ribs, so it was
0:05:19 > 0:05:20starting to crush me as well.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24With the machine pressing him deeper into the mud,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Kevin desperately tries to attract his colleague Sandy's attention...
0:05:27 > 0:05:29HE WHISTLES
0:05:29 > 0:05:32..but he's 50 yards along the track, and around a bend.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36He was breaking at the time. If anyone knows about hydraulic breakers, they're quite loud,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38so I was shouting and whistling.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Kevin struggles to retrieve his mobile phone and dials 999,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47but the signal is intermittent, and he can't keep the connection.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Spoke to somebody on the phone and then lost my signal.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Very bad place for a signal up there.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Kevin knows he's in big trouble,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and water is rising around him in the ditch.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Things going through your head, your family,
0:06:00 > 0:06:05"Got to make every effort to get out of this situation," and, yeah,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07dead scary.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10His only option is to try to save himself.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Had to push myself out with my broken leg,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15cos my other leg was trapped.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Excruciating pain. Absolute agony.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Never experienced anything like that, pain-wise.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27He's left lying in the mud, exhausted and alone,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29wondering where help could come from.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34But the sound of his screams and shouts have carried across the
0:06:34 > 0:06:37waters of the loch and been heard by workers there.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Suddenly his phone rings.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43It was one of my friends from down the road, a farmer, Roddy.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Knowing Kevin was working on the south side of the loch,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Roddy is checking to see if he's OK.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51Luckily, at that moment,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Kevin has enough signal to briefly explain his predicament.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Across the loch, Roddy calls 999.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16On the other end of the phone is call handler Aaron.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19A general knowledge of the area, I knew it was going to be quite hard
0:07:19 > 0:07:22to access, and it was going to be quite a while
0:07:22 > 0:07:24before we could reach him.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Roddy sets off towards his injured friend's location,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34while Aaron immediately calls Kevin's number.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I had another incoming call on my phone,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and this was 999.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52He sounded quite scared. As I was talking to him more,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54he did calm, he calmed down a lot more.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56I was still in a lot of pain,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00but to know there was help on the way was certainly a big relief.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Hearing Kevin gasping with pain,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Aaron tries to establish the extent of his injuries.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Pins and needles that he was describing, the lack of feeling,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31gave me some cause for concern about what he'd done to his leg.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35The pins and needles would point towards a
0:08:35 > 0:08:38vascular compromise, lack of blood flow.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Kevin's condition is deteriorating,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and the ambulance is having problems finding the location.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48His confusion, caused by shock, isn't helping.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Growing more and more concerned,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Aaron calls out the Air Ambulance from Perth airport.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Just because of where he was, he couldn't have picked a worse place,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18really. In the middle of nowhere, on the banks of a loch,
0:09:18 > 0:09:19down a single-track road.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25During the call, Kevin is discovered by a workmate who stays with him,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29but it's another agonising 20 minutes before the 999 call picks up
0:09:29 > 0:09:32the sound of the Air Ambulance.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I can hear the helicopter approaching,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and then it came into sight over the top of the trees.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53This photograph shows the moment air medics arrive.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Lead paramedic John Pritchard finds Kevin in the ditch behind his
0:09:57 > 0:09:58toppled dumper.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Kevin was very distressed when we got there, obviously,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and very relieved that we had got to him.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I thought, "Yeah, I'm in safe hands now....
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- "Let them do their work."- We saw that the limb was very,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14very badly deformed at this point,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17because this could be a limb-threatening injury.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21They administered some morphine to me, to numb the pain a bit,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and that's when they decided to try and get me on the stretcher and
0:10:25 > 0:10:28straighten my leg out, so they could strap me down.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32It takes three paramedics to straighten Kevin's broken leg.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It needs to be pulled back in line,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and the sooner we can get that pulled back into alignment,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40the better the circulation to the extremities of that limb.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44He's flown to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48It's a 60-mile journey that would take over an hour and a half by car,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51but takes just 20 minutes in the Air Ambulance.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I remember being in the helicopter, lying on my back,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56looking at all the control panels.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The paramedics trying to keep talking to me and comfort me.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And that 20-minute flight was key in saving that limb.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Kevin suffered a broken ankle and shin, and several broken ribs.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11He was in hospital for 14 days.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15My kids came to visit me, eight and seven at the time.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I think they were just relieved to see their dad
0:11:17 > 0:11:19was still in one piece.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22After a number of skin grafts and operations,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Kevin was sent home to recover.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27They inserted a titanium rod in through my kneecap,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30and that goes down the middle of the bone, down through the marrow,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and connects the bone back up,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and they screw it down at the ankle and screw it at the top,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38so now my bone is probably one of the stronger parts of my body!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42A year of physiotherapy and recovery followed,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44but Kevin is now back at work.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I'd like to thank everybody enormously
0:11:47 > 0:11:49for what they did that day.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I think I was very lucky to get out
0:11:52 > 0:11:54of it the way I have, actually, yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Coming up, a husband and wife travelling along the motorway
0:12:10 > 0:12:11are overtaking a huge lorry.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15I didn't notice anything. I was just focusing on getting past.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17But her husband does, and shouts a warning.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Knockhill, Dunfermline.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37At Scotland's only race circuit, the Mini Cooper Cup gets underway.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Lights out, and away we go!
0:12:40 > 0:12:44A driver halfway down the field has his pedal to the metal,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49but at the first turn, the cars in front slow and bunch up.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52He needs to lose speed, but his brakes fail.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55He hits a kerb, then a team-mate,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and a split-second later is upside down,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00careering off the track.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Then it started to barrel roll, and I'm thinking, "I hope he's OK,"
0:13:04 > 0:13:07because it...because when I'm looking in my mirrors and I'm
0:13:07 > 0:13:09watching it, it seemed pretty lethal.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Edinburgh - home to car and all-round racing fanatic Tim Sleigh.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26He's not only been a top driver,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30he now also runs a car business and a racing team.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34But then again, it is something of a family tradition.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37His dad Tom raced against some of the all-time greats,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39including Jackie Stewart.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Tim pretty much grew up track-side.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I was very little when my father was still sort of racing.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48It was a bit of a sort of family event.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50We'd often walk up and down through the paddock,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and it was all quite exciting to us.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53The smell of the fumes
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and the noise of the revving engines was quite good.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01So it's no great surprise when Tim starts racing at a young age,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06first in motocross, and then later on four wheels, in a Fiesta XR2.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11I was bitten by it. Next thing I know, I've bought this car,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15I've bought... I bought a trailer. Once I started in 2009,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I think I qualified fifth in my first race.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I come from a very competitive family.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I mean, me and my brother used to race each other to the toilet!
0:14:23 > 0:14:27You could see very early on that he was going to be pretty good.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29He was getting the hang of it very quickly.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32He won the Newcomers' Trophy, and the championship twice.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Tim then swapped Fiesta XR2 competitions for the more
0:14:36 > 0:14:41challenging Mini Cooper racing, and liked that even more.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43It's so exhilarating, because it's so tight.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It's door-handle-to-door-handle racing.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Everybody's just trying to squeeze through you. It's very exciting.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Tim's racing career really takes off at Knockhill racing circuit
0:14:53 > 0:14:56in Dunfermline, home to Scottish motorsport.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Every year in the Mini Cooper Championship,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01drivers compete over seven race meetings.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Four races in, and Tim's well-placed.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Team-mate Mikey Faulkner is convinced Tim's in with a chance.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Top guy, really good racer.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13He's really quick. Really, really quick.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19It's August, and at Knockhill racetrack,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Tim is lining up on the grid for the second race of the fifth meeting.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27He's in 11th place after being bumped in the first race of the day,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and his championship dreams are looking hazy.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36In the crowd, his parents know he'll be going all-out to pick up points.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Tim's adrenaline is pumping.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Your heart's really starting to race now as well. You sort of, you feel
0:15:41 > 0:15:44it, you're going, but you're just trying to sort of focus as well.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46You're trying not to...make sure your legs are shaking too much and
0:15:46 > 0:15:49slip off the clutch!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51The five-light countdown begins.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- And they're off!- The light's out, and away we go!
0:15:57 > 0:16:01From halfway down the field, Tim makes a good start,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04aiming to quickly catch up with the leaders.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08But just after the first turn, the cars are tightly packed.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12It's a bottleneck, and Tim can't see a way through.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13He has to slow down.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I'm charging on at quite a rate of knots,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and all the cars are pretty much stopping in front of me.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I've got to jump on the brake pedal myself,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25and I find out the brake pedal's absolutely solid.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28The car's brakes fail.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Tim can't stop.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33My team-mate's right in front of me.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35All I'm going to do is just plough all the way through these cars,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38so I'm just trying to take necessary avoidance.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Tim does his best to take evasive action, but slams into the kerb,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46bouncing into the rear nearside of the vehicle in front.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48It's Mikey's.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51All of a sudden, this massive thud behind me!
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Looked in my mirror, I'm thinking, "Oh, that was my team-mate,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58"that was Tim! Lucky! Thanks, Tim!" You know?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00But Tim's got a lot on his mind right now.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02He's somersaulting down the track.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05There's a rollover! That's...that's Tim Sleigh!
0:17:05 > 0:17:08And you're just trying to do your best, you know?
0:17:08 > 0:17:12It's just...it's survival. You're just trying to sort of fight for it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Because you would expect the weight transfer to bring it back down,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18but because, I think, he hit the kerb so hard,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and it was such a massive thump,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24it kind of just...it decided, "No, I'm not going to come back down."
0:17:24 > 0:17:26The car tips over, on to its roof.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Tim's out of the race, but not out of danger.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Initially, when it was sliding down on its roof, down the hill,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I think I was calm, from what I can remember, you know?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I was calm, I was OK, I was just sort of...
0:17:38 > 0:17:41It was more sort of frustration and disappointment, sort of thinking,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43you know, "Well, that's me going to be out of this race."
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Tim Sleigh rolled! That's a horrendous-looking roll!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51At the bottom of the hill,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54the car appears to slow, but it doesn't stop.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00And it started to barrel roll, and I'm thinking, "I hope he's OK,"
0:18:00 > 0:18:03cos it...cos when I'm looking in my mirrors and I'm watching it,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05it seemed pretty lethal.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09The combination of the track footage and Tim's own car camera shows what
0:18:09 > 0:18:11happens next.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14When it picked up to get going,
0:18:14 > 0:18:15I suppose I kind of lost it.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I didn't know if I was upside down, I didn't know if I was forwards,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21backwards, sideways. Completely disorientated.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It goes from big, huge, hard thumps...
0:18:24 > 0:18:26LOUD THUDS OF IMPACT
0:18:26 > 0:18:29..to sort of, like, being calm, and sort of nothing, and then a big
0:18:29 > 0:18:32thump, bang, and you're getting thrown about.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And then it's sort of floating and there's nothing, and then,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36bang, bang, bang! It's away again,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and I'm man enough to admit that I was scared at that moment
0:18:39 > 0:18:40when it picked up the roll.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49As the car rolls,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Tim's helmet and arm are visible through the now open door.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Mikey fears his team-mate is in real trouble.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59My main concern was, you know, "Is he OK?"
0:18:59 > 0:19:02You know, "Is he going to walk away from this?"
0:19:02 > 0:19:04There's nothing he can do to help.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09He drives his own damaged car into the pits and waits for news.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11In the crowd, Tim's dad is unaware of what's happened.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14He's watching at a bend further down the track.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Down at the hairpin, waiting for the cars to come, and Tim didn't appear,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and I thought, "That's strange." You tend to think,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24"Oh, well...is he OK?"
0:19:24 > 0:19:26You know, that's the first thing you think of.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Further back near the start, Tim's car has come to rest on the grass
0:19:30 > 0:19:32verge at the side of the track.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Marshals and medics run across to help.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Inside the car, he checks himself over for injuries.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43It's the initial quick assessment of, like, "I'm OK.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46"No bones sticking out of shirts or anything like that," you know?
0:19:46 > 0:19:47It was just, like, it was kind of...
0:19:49 > 0:19:52"What's just happened?!"
0:19:52 > 0:19:54I climbed out of the car, in my moment of madness,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56climbed on the bonnet,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and climbed on the roof and took a bow and gave a wave to the crowd.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- Ever the showman, I suppose, but... - HE LAUGHS
0:20:02 > 0:20:05When the wreckage of the car is brought back to the paddock,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08only the roll cage is left intact.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11You think, "How on Earth did he walk away from it?"
0:20:11 > 0:20:14How he didn't break his arm or a leg or anything like that,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16it was very lucky.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19He was a little bit in shock, but that's what you'd expect!
0:20:19 > 0:20:21And I suppose I was a little bit in shock, too,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23because it was far more than I'd thought of.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26That's then when you begin to register a little bit that it's far
0:20:26 > 0:20:28more dangerous than you think it is.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31One of my sponsors actually said to me,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34they said, you know, "Today was a good day."
0:20:34 > 0:20:39And I said to him, "I fail to share your sentiment,"
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and he goes, "No," he goes, "if you think about it," he says,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44"you've had a massive accident like that,
0:20:44 > 0:20:45"where you could have been killed."
0:20:45 > 0:20:49He said, "You got out of the car, and you walked away.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51"Today was a good day."
0:20:59 > 0:21:02It's all about transport of one sort or another today.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06But most of us don't use construction vehicles or race Minis.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Lots of us do, however, drive cars and use the roads.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Next, a story about a couple heading along the motorway to a birthday
0:21:12 > 0:21:15dinner, who didn't get a chance to celebrate that night.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19The M20 in Kent.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24A couple heading along the motorway to a birthday celebration overtake a
0:21:24 > 0:21:27huge supertruck. They notice it...
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Big, white, state-of-the-art vehicle, not like the normal ones.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33..but the driver doesn't spot them.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38TYRES SCREECH
0:21:38 > 0:21:41LOUD CRASH
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The market town of Hythe on the Kent coast.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Tina Reed, who works for the National Grid,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54lives here with her husband Ian,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and it's where they brought up their children.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59We both lead quite an active life.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Our daughter, she's very energetic.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06We did a lot of camping holidays, so it was all family-orientated.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Tina and Ian have been happily married for more than 20 years,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and they've made a habit of always doing something special
0:22:15 > 0:22:16on their birthdays.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It's June, and Ian's celebrating his 55th.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The couple decide on a trip to the cinema,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26followed by dinner to celebrate.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I'd actually pre-booked some tickets for the cinema.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32We were going to go and see Jurassic World.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36On that day, we'd left home around 6:25pm,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40cos the show was starting at seven o'clock,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42so we thought we'd get there in good time.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48They set off with Tina driving and Ian alongside in the passenger seat.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51A camera mounted on the dashboard records the evening traffic.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Tina installed it after an anxious moment on the same stretch
0:22:54 > 0:22:57of motorway two weeks earlier.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Two weeks previously, I was driving to work in the morning,
0:23:01 > 0:23:06and a lorry on the inside lane, as I was in the middle lane again,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10had a blow-out, and he was weaving all over the road,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and the wheel came off and started to head towards the car,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and just before it got me, it veered off, and I said,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17"I've got to get myself a dashcam."
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The couple are travelling along the M20 from Hythe towards Ashford.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Traffic is flowing freely,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28but following earlier problems at the Channel Tunnel,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31there are a lot of big lorries in evidence.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Visibility was absolutely perfect.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36It was a beautiful sunny day.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Tina uses the motorway daily on her way to work,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and she's used to seeing lots of HGVs heading for the tunnel.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47But today, one in particular catches her attention.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51I pulled out into the middle lane to overtake the queue of lorries.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I noticed one particular one,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56which was the first one I was just going to come past.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Big, white, state-of-the-art vehicle, not like the normal ones.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And I was just passing, building up to top speed.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Tina's dashcam shows she has plenty of space in front,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11between her car and another lorry further up ahead.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But Ian is looking out of the passenger side window at the big,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16white truck they're still alongside.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Suddenly, he shouts a warning.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I didn't notice anything.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26I was just focusing on getting past, and next thing,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Ian's sat next to me, saying, "Watch him! Watch him!"
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And I'm thinking, "What, what's he saying, 'watch him'?"
0:24:32 > 0:24:35And next thing, I hear, like, a bang.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36Watch him!
0:24:36 > 0:24:37It's too late.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40The dashcam captures the horrifying seconds that follow...
0:24:40 > 0:24:42LOUD CRASH
0:24:42 > 0:24:44..and the couple's reaction.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48The juggernaut drifts into their lane, clipping the back of their
0:24:48 > 0:24:51car, and sending it into a terrifying spin.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56The vehicle is thrown up the embankment and hurled over the top,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58landing 40 metres away in a field.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Tina remembers every moment.
0:25:02 > 0:25:09Then the car is suddenly spinning round, facing into the slow lane,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13sideways. And then I recall another impact.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Basically, we'd gone in front of the lorry,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22so he'd driven straight into the side, passenger, where Ian was sat.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26I remember looking over, and as we sort of spun again,
0:25:26 > 0:25:31I recall seeing Ian's head and shoulders go out the window that was
0:25:31 > 0:25:34missing, and I thought, "He's dead."
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I thought, "That's it, he's dead."
0:25:39 > 0:25:41We end up going up the embankment,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45full speed in reverse, through a fence.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51With the impact, the force, it had thrown Ian into that side of me,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and there was a lever underneath my car seat,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and that had impacted on the back of my leg.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01As the car spins, the camera on the dashboard flips around and films
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Tina and Ian mid-crash.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Shock and confusion is etched on
0:26:07 > 0:26:10their faces as they fly off the motorway.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Finally, the car comes to a standstill, right side up.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Their first thoughts are for each other.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- You all right, hon?- Yeah, are you? Are you all right?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- I've hurt my rib.- OK, OK.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I can recall, like, looking down and thinking,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28"Still got my arms, still got my legs."
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Jesus Christ!
0:26:29 > 0:26:31It took a bit of time for it to sink in.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- Are we going to call the police? - Give us your phone.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39The couple dial 999, only to discover a number of motorists have
0:26:39 > 0:26:42already alerted the emergency services, warning them
0:26:42 > 0:26:44to expect the worst.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46We understand, later on, talking to them,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50is that they received calls saying,
0:26:50 > 0:26:51"There's been a lorry's hit a car,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54"but we don't think they've made it."
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Police and Ambulance Services rush to the scene,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and the couple are taken to hospital.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Miraculously, although both are in severe shock,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08they escape with just serious bruising.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Tina remembers her husband telling her he doubted he would survive.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17He says to me that, at that moment we looked out the window and saw the
0:27:17 > 0:27:21front grille of that lorry, he thought to himself, "Today, I die."
0:27:22 > 0:27:25In fact, the truck's grille helped save their lives.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29The brand-new lorry is designed to sweep obstacles away rather than
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- crush them.- It was designed to...like a snowplough.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35It would move you away from its path.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39I think that was our blessing that day, is that we weren't hit by some
0:27:39 > 0:27:41ordinary run-of-the-mill juggernaut.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44Ian has suffered another serious,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48unrelated health issue since the accident,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51but the couple have watched the footage from their dashboard camera
0:27:51 > 0:27:53several times over and asked the same question.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56How did we walk away from that?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I believe, that day, we were very lucky,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and we shouldn't have been here, but we are.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- You all right, hon?- Yeah, are you?
0:28:12 > 0:28:13That's all from Close Calls.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15See you next time.